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Reporting differences among sexually assaulted college women: a cultural exploration

REPORTING DIFFERENCES AMONG SEXUALLY ASSAULTED COLLEGE
WOMEN: A CULTURAL EXPLORATION
by
Malia J. Smith
______________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2010
Copyright 2010 Malia J. Smith

Sexual assault (SA) is a critical public health problem, and there are many barriers that impede college women from reporting. Although there are many studies that explore these barriers, there is a lack of understanding regarding the cultural implications to reporting. The existing literature often uses race as a proxy for culture when exploring sexual assault crime reporting behaviors, and has not yet explored the probable differences between them. Hence, this study investigated the reporting rate differences among sexually assaulted college females using a cultural lens. A quantitative methods approach was used for this study and a survey was designed to address seven perceived barriers and its importance to crime reporting among underrepresented minority college women. The findings indicated that culture matters and race and culture are not synonymous and should not be used interchangeably, as race appears to be one-dimensional, while culture is multi-dimensional and comprised of different variables. The results of this research project, with reference to existing studies and implications for future research, are discussed.

REPORTING DIFFERENCES AMONG SEXUALLY ASSAULTED COLLEGE
WOMEN: A CULTURAL EXPLORATION
by
Malia J. Smith
______________________________________________________________
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
May 2010
Copyright 2010 Malia J. Smith